Nigeria’s former president, Goodluck Jonathan has condemned the frequent defections from one political party to another by politicians across the country.
Jonathan while speaking at the National Action Plan for Electoral Reform Dialogue, organised by the Abuja School of Social and Political Thought called for electoral reforms that could strengthen democracy in Nigeria.
According to Jonathan, the reforms when adopted could enhance accountability and ensure a credible electioneering process.
Represented by Ann Iyonu, the Executive Director of Goodluck Jonathan Foundation, the former president said one cannot rule out the fact that Nigeria has made progress since the nation’s return to democracy.
He, however stated that Nigeria’s democratic and electoral process remains riddled with flaws that cannot be overlooked
His words, “If we are truly committed to democracy, we must be bold enough to reform the process to better reflect the will of the people and the principles of justice, accountability, and inclusion.
“Parties are the foundation of any democracy, but in our context, they have become vulnerable to opportunism and instability.
“We have seen a disturbing rise in the practice of cross-cupping — elected officials defecting from the parties under which they were elected, often without ideological justification or accountability to the electorate,” Jonathan said.
The former president further called for the establishment of an independent Office of the Registrar of Political Parties.
He said this particular establishment would be saddled with the responsibility of regulating party operations, promoting internal democracy, and enforcing party discipline.
Citing situations in Kenya and Malawi, Jonathan said the registrar of the institution would be bestowed the authority to declare the seat of any defector vacant.
“This reform would affirm the principle that the electoral mandate belongs to the people and not to individual ambition,” he added.
He also advocated for a change in the appointment procedure for the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission.
He opined that such a role should be handed to an independent panel that would be responsible for screening and nominating candidates for the position of INEC chairman.